Touchstone from the Children's Press

First published in 1989, Touchstone is Peter Egan's first novel for children and it is quite an extraordinary achievement when you take into account how long ago it is since it was conceived.

It must be one of the earliest examples in the revival of writing for children in Ireland of the back-in-time to an age of dragons , wizards, elves, flying horses, Teutonic-type heroes and blacksmiths. Their beliefs and rivalries lead to the eventual dawning of an era for these people whose ancestors had been born of the Great Ocean. Before that, the Great Ocean had held monstrous beings, huge creatures, and all that had learned in time to fly and walk on land.

It is in this world that Patti, aged 11, and Simon, aged 10, find themselves after surviving a plane crash. Their resemblance to the kidnapped royal children involves them in a series of adventures and dangers that make for a real page-turner, with its proliferation of incidents and events that are never slowed down by the excellence of the descriptive writing. The superb illustrations by Pamela Leonard, reminiscent of medieval tapestries, contribute greatly to the book.

Touchstone from the Children's Press: priced €7.99. Ages 9 to 12.

tony hickey